Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Not to be compared with cheaper alternatives from DIY chains, SunSeeker folding-sliding doors are Made in England and feature the slimmest sight-lines and slim profiles (that's why we call them SunSeeker Slimline Bi Folds!)

Builders may now consider the low maintenance option of a quality set of aluminium framed bi-folds (up to 7m width) for their customers, rather than pvc or timber frames with limited expanse.

Full details of the doors are on the SunSeeker Doors main innovative doors website; for trade details and price estimations, visit SunSeeker Doors Trade Bifolds.

Monday, 12 September 2011

Having an ultra-chic talking point in your home costs a little more than having a very nice modern set of bi folding doors. With Frameless glass doors, you get more glass for a superior panoramic view.

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

It came to our attention recently that at least one of our competitors is making misleading statements about us. Nothing serious but we thought we'd clear up any misunderstandings about whether we are manufacturers of frameless glass doors / glass curtains or just agents for a non-UK company.

We've been manufacturing and installing bi folding doors since 2003. The concept was in its infancy as we developed our proprietary system in-house. We took the decision to retrain our aluminium powder-coating staff to install our bifolding doors with great care and, during the following years, our bifolding door system was refined and the installation team's experience grew. Although SunSeeker Doors is still a small-ish company, expansion has been carefully managed in line with sustainable economic growth plus continued research and development.

Since then, bifolds have become very popular in the UK, second only to French doors (and this is because many homes are built with openings limited to a double door width). A few manufacturers and a greater number of agents, including DIY shops, have brought products to market: aluminium, pvc and timber framed bifolding doors under various other names such as accordian, concertina, sliding-folding doors, etc. Some are quality imports from Europe, many are cheap imports. Bi-folding-sliding doors prices may include installation or may be sold for builders or DIY enthusiasts to undertake fitting themselves.

At SunSeeker Doors, we prefer to offer a full installation service - the job is usually complete inside half a day and we leave the site with a smoothly working set of doors. However, when the recent recession saw home-owners and builders struggling to meet rising costs, we launched our Trade bifolds website to accommodate this market sector.

SunSeeker Frameless Glass Doors
Manufactured in the U.K.

In 2008, we were amongst companies in the UK who considered installing 'glass curtains' for an overseas company who manufacture single glazed enclosures. Realizing the limited potential of this product in the UK - suitable mainly for internal partitions and commercial applications - our engineers set about designing a double-glazed version of frameless glass doors for the UK market.

With double glazing, two parallel panes of glass are joined around the edges using a gasket to maintain a thermal barrier by forming a vacuum between the outside and inside glass. The gasket is narrow but visible at the sides of the glass doors; this is a considerable improvement over standard bifolding doors - about three-quarters of an inch interrupting a panoramic view rather than four inches (or more, with other bifolds).

The absence of frames posed a challenge in terms of how to hinge the doors - so we didn't. Instead, we designed a system that gently presses the door edges together when closed, making them weather-proof and maintaining insulation values that are higher than required by building regulations. The doors are opened with a slide and pivot motion. The main access door pivots open like most other doors in the home. If further doors are to be opened, each one easily slides across the gap and, in turn, pivots open to rest next to the previous door, and so on. An added feature is to open one door and leave the other doors spaced across the opening for fresh air if access is not required.